(JTA) — The suspect in the vandalism of a Beverly Hills synagogue has pleaded not guilty to felony charges that include a hate crime allegation.
Anton Nathaniel Redding, a 24-year-old Pennsylvania native, was charged with breaking into the Nessah Synagogue and “heavily ransacking” the building in the early morning hours of Dec. 14, including unrolling a Torah scroll and crumpling it.
Redding was charged with one felony count each of vandalism of religious property and second-degree burglary, along with the hate crime, KTLA News reported.
Shortly after being identified on surveillance camera footage, Redding was located in Hawaii and detectives traveled there to take him into custody in collaboration with local law enforcement.
His bail has been set at $250,000 and he remains in custody, police said. He could face up to six years in prison if convicted.
There were no markings or other overt signs of anti-Semitism left at the synagogue, Beverly Hills police said, according to MyNewsLA.com.
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